Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Trader Joe's Butternut Squash & Creamed Spinach Gratin



This is another in an array of prepared side dishes that Trader Joe's releases this time of year to make holiday feast preparation easy. Nina bought it and served it as part of our dinner a few days ago.

For me, squash and spinach are both in the "I'll eat it, but I won't ever really like it" category. This prejudice makes me a less-than-ideal reviewer here. But with that caveat, I'll say that this combination was among the better ways to dress them up that I've encountered.

Will I buy it again? 

No. But I won't balk at eating it again if it's on the menu.


Nina's View

Ah the blandishments of the tasting station at Trader Joe's… I would never have bought this were it not for that little paper cup with a forkful of this in it FOR FREE. I have a life-long struggle with the idea of rejecting free food. Not gonna do it (except for the meat stuff and those few things I'm actually allergic to).

So, yeah, this has cheese in it, and I wouldn't have bought it otherwise, except: FREEEEEEEEE taste!

I tasted and it was tasty. I thought Bob might like it, and was pleased to find that it fell into the non-icky category for him.

The end of the story is not so happy, however. My first bite, at TJ's was "Oh, yum!" My next serving, at home was: "Yeah, this all right." My third serving, of leftovers, was "Yeah, not so much." I don't think this was because it had somehow degraded from sitting in my fridge for a day. I think the product's weaknesses just became more and more evident.

My biggest objection is to the thin-sliced treatment of the squash. It would be better as a puree. Maybe. Or little tiny diced chunks. Whatever, the texture (they're going for a 'lasagna' type presentation) is just not right. And the flavors never really meld as much as they should.

So, even if it didn't have dairy in it, I wouldn't be buying it again. But *you* might like it.

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